About a dozen lights at pedestrian crosswalks are broken along Canal Street.

'Tis the season in the Crescent City.

But with all the decorations donning downtown, there are some essential lights in the dark that many are calling a safety hazard.

“You walk, you see traffic coming, then you see traffic stop and you kind of have to play that waiting game. it's like a roll of the dice every time you cross the street,” said downtown worker Paul Loisel.

The pedestrian light at Canal and North Peters is out completely out.

So are the one at the intersection of Dauphine and Burgundy.

One even tells pedestrians to stop, however when it turns to give them the green light, the hand stays up as the walking sign illuminates giving conflicting directions.

Others give the stop sign, but the walking indicator never illuminates, confusing pedestrians.

Workers downtown say the lights have been this way for years and sends the wrong signal to visitors in the Crescent City.

“I see a lot of tourists and visitors come to the city and they're huddled up on the corner, hoping they're picking the best time to cross the street,” said Loisel. “I think it's very important we take the opportunity to make sure our infrastructure matches the expectations of those tourists."

When contacting the city, a spokesman said they are aware that there is a problem with the downtown crosswalks and sent WDSU this statement, which reads in part:

“We are working to repair the crosswalk signals on Canal Street and encourage citizens to use standard precautions before crossing the street.”

The city has the green light to start the downtown countdown timer project, which will add countdown timers to the existing pedestrian signals along Canal Street, similar to the ones on Magazine Street. The city also has the green light to add 20 new signals throughout the Central Business District.

There are also utility and wiring issues with the current crosswalks that this project will address.

"This being a major tourist area, I think it's important to get these things back up and running so our visitors are safe and come back to the city,” said Loisel.

But the visitors will have to wait until next holiday season to see the changes since the project isn't expected to start until fall of 2014.

The timer project will also address the underground wiring issues many lights are experiencing right now.